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Triadic interactions in captive Barbary macaques ( Macaca sylvanus , Linnaeus, 1758): “Agonistic buffering”?
Author(s) -
Smith E. O.,
PefferSmith P. G.
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
american journal of primatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.988
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1098-2345
pISSN - 0275-2565
DOI - 10.1002/ajp.1350020111
Subject(s) - agonistic behaviour , aggression , juvenile , dominance (genetics) , dominance hierarchy , agonism , captivity , biology , zoology , psychology , developmental psychology , ecology , genetics , politics , gene , political science , law
This study presents data on the expression of male‐immature triadic interactions, previously termed agonistic buffering, in a captive Macaca sylvanus group. Agonistic buffering has been hypothesized as inhibiting or modifying the expression of aggression. This was tested by examining (1) the dominance ranks of the animals involved in the triadic interactions, (2) the events preceding and following the triadic interactions, and (3) the presence of an infant in nonagonistic encounters between juvenile, subadult, and adult males. The results obtained do not support the hypothesis of agonistic buffering as the single explanation for triadic interactions, but emphasize the contextual variability in the expression of these triadic interactions.